A Journey to Erebor
by CamiBelle
Summary: Kristie and Misty were just your ordinary teenagers. That's what the 12th graders thought, anyway. They didn't at all suspect that the sisters belonged to another world. [When the Company comes in, will focus on Fili, Kili, and Thorin. hurt!Kili and protective/concerned!Fili] Edited by wibblywobblytimeywimeygirl13 .
1. An Ordinary Day

**AN: Hey, this is my first fanfiction, so don't blame me if it's really bad. Some constructive criticism would be nice :D? Please?**

* * *

It was just an ordinary day at West Creek High. The entire 12th grade class was currently playing soccer in P.E., as per usual. Nothing out of the ordinary was supposed to happen that day. Or so everybody thought...

Misty and Kristie were sitting on a fence not too far from where their friends were playing. Never was one of these sisters seen without the other. They did everything together. During the summer, they would go "off" somewhere on "a vacation". No one really knew where they went. Everyone just assumed it was Hawaii or some place like that. Let's just say that those people were very, very wrong.

Kristie and Misty looked up to see how the game was going. Everything seemed normal to them. Nothing strange was happening. Of course nothing wasn't. That is, until a bright flash of light appeared. Everyone shielded their eyes, but when they could finally see again, they couldn't believe what was in front of them. Trees so tall you could barely see the top. Crisp air not affected by pollution. Birds singing in the breeze. Not at all where the 12th graders were just a few moments ago. And when the class looked at each other, they noticed everyone was around the same height. The height that dwarves usually were. Even stranger, all the students were clothed in garments from the middle ages. Needless to say the 12th graders were pretty startled. All, that is, except for Kristie and Misty.

"Kris!" Misty shouted, motioning for her sister to join her.

"I don't understand," whispered Kristie, as to not attract the attention of her classmates. "We weren't supposed to come back here until next summer."

"I know," replied Misty, looking around suspiciously. "And why is our entire grade here? Something's not right here. Maybe we should talk to Gandalf?" Kristie curtly nodded in agreement. "I'll go take a look around. See if I can figure out where we are." And with that, Misty ran over to the nearest tree and began climbing up and up, until Kristie could barely see her sister anymore. Misty was always a very good climber, Kristie noted. It was like she was part squirrel or something.

It didn't look as if Misty was going to come down anytime soon, so Kristie took the opportunity to look at her poor classmates. Looking deeper at their expressions, she could see that the entire 12th grade class went from startled to freaking out in a matter of minutes. Kristie shouted, "All right everybody! I know you're all really confused right now, but the key thing is to just remain calm. Wait up for a moment and we'll figure out what to do." Kristie then noticed Misty climbing down the tree again. She walked over to her sister. "Well?"

"I think I saw Gandalf going into Hobbiton. That way." Misty pointed East. Kristie started walking in that direction when Misty grabbed her arm. "But, we've got trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" asked Kristie, annoyed they were already in trouble after only a few minutes.

"Orcs."

"Orcs? Oh, great. This day just couldn't get any worse! How are we gonna hide 30 kids who can't handle a blade from orcs?"

"Easy," said Misty. "There's a cave a couple hundred yards to the South."

"Well. That's convenient." Misty walked over to break the news to her classmates. "Wait! I'll tell them about our new adventure. God knows how they'd react if YOU told them. You'd probably scare them half to death!"

"Ha, ha, very funny." Kristie was always better at talking to people, Misty couldn't deny it. Kristie just had this natural charm in her voice. But where Misty lacked in charm she made up for in strategy. While Kristie broke the news to the frazzled 12th grade class, Misty was thinking of ways to avoid the oncoming orcs.

"Misty. Lead the way," Kristie told her sister as soon as she explained to her classmates the few details they needed to understand what they had to do. Equipping her bow with an arrow, for Kristie was a skilled archer in this land, she took the rear of the group.

Up at the front, Misty pulled out her two swords from their sheaths upon her back and looked around, making sure there was no sign of orcs.

Tessa, a curious and fiesty friend of the sisters, made her way up to Misty.

"Explain," ordered Tessa.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific," replied Misty, still looking around for trouble.

"Where are we?"

Misty thought for a minute. Should hide this from Tessa, her very close friend, or should she tell her the truth to put her mind at ease. She chose to take the latter option. "Middle-Earth."

"Middle-Earth? As in Lord of the Rings Middle-Earth?"

"That's the one!" Misty replied with sarcastic cheer.

A moment of silence passed as Tessa thought about this. "Okay. I have no idea how all this is possible, so for now I'm just gonna go with it. Where are we going?"

"Well, right now we are headed to a cave that should be right about . . . here!" Misty said when she saw the cave.

Kristie made her way up to the front now that the group was in a clearing. "Okay, everybody. This is where it gets interesting. Right now there are some evil creatures chasing us that will not hesitate to rip you lungs out. We," gesturing to herself and her sister, "want to avoid having you all killed. So, we need you to follow us in the cave. Once we're deep enough, Misty and I are gonna go back out to make sure the coast is clear. Then we're gonna come and get you all. That sound okay?"

No one could really speak. I mean, you would be pretty shocked if someone you knew since pre-school just told you that there was a large chance of you dying a painful death. So instead, the West Creek class decided to follow the sisters they thought they knew into the cave. After many twists and turns, Kristie and Misty came upon a space large enough to fit the class and far enough away from the entrance. With a quick glance at each other, they started back towards the entrance.

"Hey!" Tessa yelled while grabbing each of the sister's wrists. "Be careful." A smile found its way onto Kristie's face, and then they rushed off. After a few moments, a howl broke the eerie silence in the cave. After that, all that could be heard were the screams of the dying.


	2. We Meet Again

**AN: Thank you for all the views! I'm gonna try to continue on in the story and see wherever this takes me :)**

* * *

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity in tense silence, the 12th grade class heard footsteps coming towards their hiding spot. Uneasy with fear and anxiety, for they thought that the enemy had found them, the students let out an audible sigh when they saw that the footsteps came from Kristie and Misty.

"All clear. Let's move," ordered Misty. Tessa thought Misty seemed a little different than when she left. Perhaps it was the blood spattered on her face.

The students numbly followed the sisters out of the dark cave and back into the forest. After adjusting their eyes to the bright sunlight, they saw in front of them dozens of dead . . . things.

"What," asked a boy named James, "are those?"

"Orcs," said Kristie. "Come on. There are probably more coming. We'd better get out of here. Which way's Hobbiton, Misty?"

"East. This way." Misty lead the petrified group on, with Kristie taking up the rear. Misty thought they would spend the mile long journey to Hobbiton in silence, but then Tessa found her. She kept asking questions about how everything was possible, and Misty answered them to the best of her ability before she finally grew tired of Tessa's persistant talking and sent her over to Kristie.

After trekking for almost a mile, the tired class came upon a barn not far from where Misty saw Gandalf. "You guys wait in here. We're gonna go find a . . . friend and get some help. We'll be back soon, 'kay?"

The students mumbled in response. Clearly, they were not in the mood for talking. The sisters left the poor class in search for the wizard Gandalf. Surely he would know what's wrong. After all, he is the one who trained them with the bow and swords. The sisters spent a good 10 minutes looking for any sign of the wizard's presence when they noticed a green door. Well, it wasn't particularly the door, but the mark on the door. It was the same mark Gandalf left the sisters all those years ago when he first met them. Exchanging a hopeful glance, they walked up the stone steps and up to the front door.

* * *

"If there's a key, than there must be a door," a blonde dwarf said, pondering the idea.

"There's another way in!" exclaimed the youngest of the dwarves. The dwarves sitting around the hobbit's table were in awe of the rare key, and the fact that there was a way in to the mountain. Finally they had some hope!

Then, they heard three knocks on the door. All dwarves turned their heads towards the noise.

"I could have sworn I made sure not to be followed," said the leader of the dwarves.

"Oh, do be so kind as to answer the door, Bilbo," Gandalf said. "We wouldn't want to keep whoever it is waiting," Bilbo tentatively walked towards the round door. It opened with a slight creak before revealing two hooded figures. None of the dwarves could see either of their faces. Although, they noticed that both dwarves had lethal weapons with them. The taller of the two had two swords on their back, and if you looked closely enough, you could see a few daggers on their hips. The shorter one had a quiver full of arrows along with a bow on their back. This dwarf also had a sword with them.

None of the dwarves could even guess as to who these mysterious people were. Except for the wizard.

"Gandalf," said the wielder of the two swords. "We need to talk."

"Who are you? You dare to march in here and order our wizard about? Show yourselves," ordered the leader of the company. The hooded figure ignored this remark.

"Now," they ordered.

"Ah, yes. If you will excuse me, Thorin. This will only take a moment." Gandalf left the baffled dwarves staring out the door.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Gandalf, once they were out of earshot.

"Actually, we came to ask you that," replied Kristie, taking off her hood.

"Us, along with our entire grade, just appeared here. Any ideas how that's possible?" asked Misty, also removing her hood.

"I'm not entirely sure," replied the wizard, curiosity piqued.

"Well, do you know how to get us back?" asked Kristie.

The wizard thought for a moment before leaning closer to the girls. He spoke in a whisper, "I believe that I do. The only way to get back to the mortal world is to use the Arkenstone. It is said to harness great power. If anything can get you and your kin back, it is the Arkenstone."

"But that was lost in Erebor, wasn't it?" asked Kristie.

"Yes, but I am currently taking an . . . interesting group of dwarves to take back Erebor. You are welcome to join us. We could use both of your skills."

"Thanks for the offer, but we wouldn't want to intrude. Wouldn't we, Kris?" Misty looked over to her sister, nudging her.

"What? Oh, um, yes. We-we wouldn't want to be a burden. But thank you for your advice, Gandalf. If we may ask you one more thing, what should we do about our classmates?"

"Well, I should think it obvious. You take them to Rivendell for now," said Gandalf. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe the dwarves are a bit peeved about my absence. Thorin is bound to be upset. You know how dwarves can be." The sisters smiled at this comment, and then Gandalf disappeared into the hobbit hole. As soon as the wizard was out of site, they set off towards the barn.

"Why couldn't we go with them?" asked Kristie.

"Don't you think it kind of strange, that at the exact moment we need the Arkenstone, Gandalf is leading a group of dwarves to Erebor? I mean, stuff like that doesn't just happen. Something's not right here. I don't like it. We're better off going to Erebor on our own for now."

"Fine. Whatever you say," said Kristie.

Once they arrived at the barn, thirty pairs of eyes went directly towards the sisters. "What happened?" asked Tessa.

"We know what to do. Why don't we rest here for the night. We'll set off in the morning," said Misty.

The students burrowed deeper into the hay and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

"Come on, lazy bones, wake up," Misty nudged her sister. "We've gotta move."

After rubbing the sleep from their eyes the West Creek High students hesitantly got to their feet, and began their journey towards Rivendell.

The group walked towards the Elven kingdom for many, many hours, taking frequent breaks for those who weren't fast walkers.

They passed three stone trolls huddled around a small fire, which incited curious reactions from the students. Kristie and Misty, noticing the sun was going down, decided to stop near the fire for the night.

Wiped out from the day of fatigue, the entire class soon drifted off to sleep. All but Misty, who had agreed to take the first watch. Looking out to the land in front of her, Misty heard the approaching footsteps from behind her.

"You should be asleep," she remarked, still looking at the horizon.

"Probably. But you still haven't answered all my questions," replied Tessa. "How-" Tessa thought for a minute. "How do you know all of this? I mean, it's like you were raised here, you know so much. What happened?"

"It's a very long story." And so for the next hour Misty explained all that she could to her curious friend.


	3. Journey to Rivendell

**AN: So just in case it isn't all that clear, the stuff in bold is when they talk in Elvish. On with the story!**

* * *

Kristie, now on watch, noticed the sun rising over the treetops. She got to her feet and yelled at everybody to get up. Some of the students reactions included groaning, rolling over and falling back to sleep, and, for some few, actually waking up.

Misty jumped down from the tree she was sleeping in. You might think it weird, but she liked to sleep in trees. Don't even try asking her why. You'll likely end up with a punch in the face.

Some of the dwarves yawned and stretched, trying to regain circulation in their stiff limbs. Misty and Kristie surveyed the area to make sure they were safe.

After everyone was more or less awake, the class set off again for Rivendell.

Tessa came running up to the front. "Sorry to bug you, but some people back there are wondering if you have any food," Tessa mentioned to Misty.

"Sorry, no. But we'll likely be in Rivendell within the hour."

"Kay. I'll go tell them."

The scenery around the dwarves changed from tall trees to dry grassland with rocks scattered everywhere. The party of dwarves forced there way through the tall grass, it would've been nearly waist high on a man, but for Kristie and Misty it was tall enough to offer several unpleasant slaps in the face. They could barely see what was ahead, and though they tried to maintain a confident air, they were walking in circles for all they knew. It was about 20 minutes of dull and arduos trudging before the first interesting thing happened. Misty had strode a bit ahead of the group, and off to the side, not so far that she could become lost in the tall grass, but far enough that she could have a couple of minutes alone with her thoughts away from the chatter of the group, when her foot caught on something. She jumped and the soft but heavy feel of the object, and her foot caught under it, tripping her up and causing her to land, face first, in the carcass of Warg.

Misty gasped and shoved herself back from the body, a bit startled by how close she'd come to skewering herself on the protruding arrow. She yanked the arrow from the body and was starting to look it over when the voice came from behind her "Misty!" Kristie called "Where did you go?"

"Over here" she yelled back, still looking over the arrow. She ran her finger over the long wooden shaft, and looked over the light silver tip.

Kristie jogged up behind her "What is-Oh my god" she gasped as she noticed the body. Misty looked up with a nod, noting that there were several more scattered around that had escaped her notice. She took a couple of steps forward, and discovered a hole near her feet. She couldn't tell quite how deep it was from here, but it didn't look too dangerous. She showed the arrow to Kristie, and the other girl nodded "Elves. We must be close."

Misty agreed and after a moment's deliberation their party, who had caught up to the two girls by then, slipped one by one into the hole. Upon hitting the ground they discovered that it led into a narrow earthen tunnel. The group followed it, listening to the sound of their footsteps echoing in the darkness. After several minutes of trudging the cramped passage way opened into an enormous cavern. Huge cliffs scaled up to the sky, and a waterfall that seemed seemed to be made of diamonds cascaded down to some invisible pool. The dwarves wondered how they could have possibly reached such a place through the tunnel, but this was Middle Earth after all, and such things happened. However, despite all the wonder they experienced in that moment, it was what they saw next that was truly breathtaking

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Rivendell," Kristie announced. Standing on the edge of a cliff, the dwarves could see more shimmering waterfalls that vanished into air, the water shimmering in the golden light of the sun. Beneath them a fantastical city was woven into the forest.

Misty led the awestruck group down the narrow pathway. They crossed a stone bridge over a glistening river and finally they found themselves in a grand courtyard. Kristie, coming to the front of the group, and with Misty were greeted by Lord Elrond.

"Welcome young dwarves. What brings you to Rivendell?" he asked.

Kristie replied in Elvish, **"Forgive us for intruding on your home, but we desperately need your help. These dwarves behind me are not from this world. They are confused and lost. My sister and I were hoping if we could ask for your hospitality. It would only be for a little while, until we could find a way to take them back home. We wouldn't even take a month. Please, they would be no threat to you, nor would they bring threats of their own."**

The Elf thought this over carefully. Lord Elrond responded in Elvish, **"Normally, I would not condone this request, but seeing as they cannot bring any harm to our dominion, I will consider this. Meanwhile, if you would follow my daughter, you and your kin shall be given a meal."**

"Thank you, my Lord Elrond," replied Kristie.

"What just happened?" asked Tessa.

"He said maybe," Misty translated.

"Well, it's better than a no, right?"

"Yes. Yes, it is. Come on. He's giving us food."

The hungry dwarves follow Elrond's daughter, Arwen. "I'm sorry about the mess," Arwen says when Misty notices chair legs in the middle of a fire. "We recently had company. But they just left. Strange, strange people."

Realization dawned on Misty. "They didn't happen to be travelling with Gandalf the Gray, would they?"

"Why, yes. I think they were. You know of Gandalf?"

"Vaguely," Misty lied.

The dwarves reached a large dinning hall. The table before them was filled with all kinds of food.

"Go on. The food is for you," Arwen told the dwarves.

The hungry dwarves ran to the table and practically inhaled the Elvish food.

* * *

Lord Elrond took the sisters aside after dinner and told them that he would take care of the lost dwarves until Kristie and Misty returned.

Kristie then went down towards a grouping of trees to practice her archery. Meanwhile, Misty was sharpening her daggers by a warm fire. Misty, being deep in thought, barely even noticed when Tessa came up behind her.

"Whatcha doin'?" Tessa asked.

"I'm milking a cow. What does it look like I'm doing?" she joked.

Tessa shrugged and sat down beside her friend and looked at the fire. There was a moment of silence where the only sound to be heard was the crackling of fire.

"How are you gonna get us out of here?"

Misty set down her blades and looked at her friend. "There's this really powerful stone in Erebor. We think it can get us back."

"So you're leaving."

"Yes."

"Tomorrow?"

Misty nodded.

Tessa then pulled her friend into a hug. "You come back. Ya hear me? And look after your little sister."

"Yes, mum," Misty quipped.

The two girls sat around the fire all night telling jokes and trying not to think about what was to happen in the morning.


	4. A Joint Quest

"Tessa." Misty kicked her sleeping friend. "Tessa, get up." She kicked her a little harder. "Tessa!"

"Hmm?"

"Kristie and I, we're leaving soon."

"What?" She quickly stood up and attacked Misty with a hug.

"But," Misty pulled Tessa back so she could see her face. "we need you to do something for us while we're gone."

"Sure . . . what is it?"

"We need you to keep everyone's head cool until we get back. Can you do that?"

"Yeah. I think I can do that."

"Well, then. Bye."

"Hey! I'll see you soon."

So the sisters set off from Rivendell towards the Lonely Mountain. Little did they know they weren't to be alone for long.

* * *

After around an hour the girls were deep within a forest. They were joking around when they heard the snap of a twig. Misty whispered, "Stay here.. I'll go see what that noise was."

Misty hid behind a tree when she heard the noise again. Peering out, she saw a young dwarf with a bow in his hand and a sword at his hip. She thought this dwarf looked familiar, but she could not put her finger on where she had seen him before.

"Who's there?" the dwarf asked. Misty, not about to give up her location just yet, waited to see if this dwarf was a threat. If she decided he was, she would attack. But only if he was a threat.

Misty tried to move over to get a better view when she accidentally stepped on a branch. Cursing, she moved back behind the tree. The archer fired an arrow right where her head was before. Deciding the dwarf was in fact a threat, she ran out into the clearing.

"Who are you?" the archer asked, aiming his bow at her head. Misty remained silent. "Answer me or I'll shoot."

Not waiting any longer, she made her move. Dodging the first arrow fired at her, Misty attacked the dwarf with her two swords. The dwarf blocked the strike with his sword, and then brought it down on her head. Misty used her swords as a shield.

The battling went on for another minute when the dwarves were suddenly aware of yelling and footsteps approaching. Both were surprised at this, but Misty took the opportunity to thrust one of her daggers under the archer's neck and back him up into a tree. Now unarmed, the dwarf could not defend himself.

The footsteps grew louder.

Standing in front of them were thirteen dwarves and a hobbit.

"Kili!" a blonde dwarf yelled. He tried to run up to the defenseless dwarf's aid, but was blocked by who seemed to be the leader of the group.

Misty did not back away from the archer.

"Misty, no!" cried a familiar voice. She looked for her sister in confusion, but what surprised her even more was the tall figure standing behind her.

"Gandalf?" Misty asked. Looking warily at the dwarf pinned to the wall, she removed the knife from his neck. The archer then ran over to the blonde dwarf. "Well, fancy meeting you here," she said bitterly.

"Any particular reason you almost killed Master Kili?" Gandalf asked.

"He shot an arrow at my head."

Kili defended himself, "Well, if you just told me who you were, I wouldn't have done it."

"Whatever. Look, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. We'll be on our way now," said Misty.

"Ah! Not so fast, young lady," said Gandalf.

"What is it now?" asked Kristie, walking over to her sister.

"My offer still stands. I do wish you will consider it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Thorin, eyeing the girls.

"He made us an offer to join your band of merry little dwarves on the way to Erebor," Misty said curtly, earning her a prod in the stomach from her sister.

"You might have mentioned this to me, Gandalf," Thorin said.

"Wait here," Gandalf ordered the girls. "Come. We shall talk."

So Thorin and Gandalf disappeared the way the dwarves came in, which left the remaining dwarves in tense silence.

* * *

"I'm not taking those . . . girls," Thorin spat. "with us to Erebor. They would do nothing but get in the way and be a burden,"

"But you do not know these girls. I do. They would be of much help on your quest," Gandalf said.

"We do not need any help."

"Oh, save me from the stubbornness of dwarves! You need these girls. They are . . . special."

"Oh? And how so?"

"Misty is rather handy with her swords. She is also one of the most brilliant strategists I have ever met. Rarely has she not been able to think of a solution for something. And Kristie. She is very skilled with the bow and arrow, almost as skilled as Kili. And she is a healer. Admit it. You won't last long without a proper healer."

"That's not all, though, is it? You have another reason for bringing them. Why are they going to Erebor in the first place?"

"They need to use the Arkenstone."

"What?!"

"They would only be borrowing it long enough to get back home. You can even shadow them on their way back to Rivendell to make sure the Arkenstone is safe."

"Why did you not tell me about them before?"

"I knew what your reaction would be and thought I should save it for somewhere private, such as here. Now, will you accept these dwarves as the 15th and 16th members of your Company."

"If you deem it wise, wizard. We'll do it your way. But if they put one toe out of line, they're gone."

"Understood."

* * *

Kristie and Misty were awkwardly sitting over in a corner, talking in hushed whispers. The dwarves from Thorin's Company were eyeing them suspiciously. Suddenly, Thorin and Gandalf came back into the clearing.

"The female dwarves are to join us on our quest to Erebor." There was a silence. Kristie and Misty looked at each other in confusion, and then at the wizard.

"Well," said the blonde dwarf, breaking the silence. "I guess that's settled then. Welcome to the company," he looked at the two dwarves, eyes lingering on Misty before breaking away.

"What'r your names?" asked a dwarf with a funny looking hat.

"Kristie," said Kristie.

"and Misty," said her sister.

"At your service." Both girls bowed. Kristie asked, "and what are your's?"

"Ah. Allow me," Gandalf said. Pointing to each dwarf in turn he introduced them. "Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori. And the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"Pleased to meet you," said Kristie.

"Well, this is all very exciting, but I do wish to go to sleep soon," remarked Gloin.

The sisters followed the dwarves until they reached their temporary camp. The dwarves all settled down around the fire. "Which one?" Kristie asked her sister.

"That one," Misty pointed to a tall pine tree a few feet from the fire. Misty walked over to the tree and started climbing. Kristie started settling down at its trunk, and was soon taken by exhaustion.


	5. The Mountain Pass

**AN: Thank you all for actually reading my fanfic! I love you and hope I can make a story you deserve to read.**

* * *

Kristie rubbed the sleep from her eyes and saw thirteen dwarves getting breakfast and packing their things. Deciding she should check to see if her sister was up, she put her ear against the knotted wood of the the tree trunk. There was no movement against her cheek. Her sister was still asleep.

"Good morning," Kili said, and she turned to see the youngest dwarf stretching from his spot on the ground. He rolled his head against his shoulders his long dark hair flopping against his face.

Kristie stifled a laugh, as she often did when around the dwarf. "Morning."

Kili glanced around the clearing, obviously looking for the sister that had been nearly inseparable from Kristie since they met the company. Slowly his eyes traveled the width of the camp and then returned to the tree. He jumped a little when he finally spotted the petite brunette nestled in the bows of the tree. He raised his eyebrows a little bit, apparently sleeping in trees was not really a dwarf thing. He coughed and looked around the camp again, uncomfortably. All around them dwarves were packing up and making ready to go, the girl in the tree was the only one still asleep and several of the company had stopped to cast her strange or annoyed looks, obviously upset with the stranger for delaying their quest. After a moment Kili coughed again "What do we do about her?" Kili asked, pointing to where Misty was still sleeping. "I mean, how do you wake her up?"

A slight smile crept over Kristie's face, she'd been looking forward to this for a while, it wasn't often Misty overslept, but when she did . . . She snatched up her bow and easily notched an arrow, with a skill that even Kili found impressive, for a novice that is. She aimed carefully at the thin, leafy branch directly above her sister's head.

"Wait, what?" Kili startled, afraid that Kristie was actually going to skewer her sister with an arrow. He was pretty familiar with sibling rivalry but that was just a bit overboard. He reached out a hand to stop the girl.

Kristie fired.

Misty awoke to a sharp whistling sound and a splintering crack as the point of the arrow buried itself in the wood directly above her skull. She leaped awake and had to grasp frantically at the branch above her head to keep from plummeting to the dirt below. After a moments panic she shot a deadly glare at her sister, and shakily began the climb back to the ground below.

When her feet landed on the ground she marched over to her sister and thrust the arrow back into her palms with a frustrated "And a good morning to you too".

Kristie grinned in satisfaction at her accomplishment and the two girls made there way over to the fire, landing with twin thumps on the nearest stumps. Bofur pushed a bowl of food into each of their hands and they nibbled on it while the company talked.

"Where's Gandalf?" asked Ori.

"Had some 'wizard business' to deal with. Told us to meet him in the mountains. Unreliable, I tell you," Thorin mumbled the last part, and Fili whispered something to Kili about grumpy old men that was just loud enough to earn their uncles glare.

Mistie turned and smiled briefly at the elder dwarf, who glanced away from his brother, blushed slightly, and turned back. Kristie observed this momentary exchange and grinned, promising herself to save this in her armory of taunts for the next time Misty got too annoying. A quick glance at Kili told her the dwarf was doing the same thing. Mistie caught her sister's look and shot her a warning glare, then returned her attention to Thorin who, thankfully, seemed oblivious to the whole exchange "Wait. By 'meet him in the mountains', do you mean those mountains?"

"Yes. Why? Is something wrong?"

Kristie and Misty exchanged worried glances. They knew what awaited them in those mountains. They had many unpleasant encounters with them in the past.

"Nope. Nothing's wrong," Kristie replied, perhaps a little too quickly "Let's just hope that it isn't raining when we pass through."

* * *

The entire company seemed to be shivering as the passed, drenched by the rain, along the side of the mountain. The dwarves were soaked to the bone, each and every one, beards and hair clinging to them in wet strings, and clothes not nearly thick enough to keep out the cold "When will it stop?" Dori moaned.

"Uh, Thorin?" Kristie said tensely, "Maybe we should go another way."

"Why? Can't handle getting wet?" Thorin retorted, though the effect was made somewhat less impressive by the fact that his teeth were chattering.

"No, it's not that," defended Kristie, not willing to have her pride insulted, though she was absolutely miserable in the wet.

"It's that." Misty gulped and pointed to a large boulder on the other side of the mountain.

"Is that . . . moving?" asked Bofur.

Sure enough the huge boulder, which had seemed stationary when Misty first pointed it out, was now definitely beginning to shift. "Yes. Yes it is. Take cover!" Misty shouted. The dwarves looked up just in time to see the stone giant emerge, seemingly straight out of the mountain side, and hurtled the boulder into the mountain above their heads. They backed up against the cliffside as fragments of the boulder rained down on their heads.

"So the legends are true!" Bofur gasped. "Giants. Stone giants!"

"Keep moving!" ordered Thorin.

Suddenly, the pathway the dwarves were standing on started to tremble. It was subtle at first, a fine quaking beneath their feet, but within a moment it began to shake so violently that the dwarves had to grab onto each other to keep from being hurled into the darkness below. For a moment Kili thought that he was in some sort of strange earthquake. He had never been in one before, but he had heard of them. Then his brain caught up to the situation. They were on the knees of a stone giant. And it was standing up.

"Kili! Take my hand!" Fili screamed. The crack appeared directly between the two brothers, wrenching Kili away from his big brother. Kili grasped desperately for his brother's hand, but the distance was too great. A horrified expression came onto Kili's face.

Thorin yanked the youngest dwarf back from the fading image of his brother, and shouted for the remaining half of his company to follow him. After a moment the knee collided with the mountain with a tremendous thud, and they jumped to safety, Thorin practically having to drag his nephew behind him.

However, the other half of Thorin's company was still trapped on the stone giant's other knee. The sisters, aware of the actual battle going on around them, gaped as the stone giant was hit with a boulder. Slowly, it the enormous creature began to fall, it's knees giving way under it.

Misty looked to the blonde dwarf in horror as he came closer and closer towards the mountain. She didn't understand why her mind went first to Fili, and not to any of the others, but she brushed that thought away for a later time.

The knee with the other dwarves on it slammed thunderously against the mountain side.

"No! NO!" Thorin shouted.

When the knee was visible again, there were no dwarves on it.

"NO!" Thorin yelled.

"FILI!" Kili shrieked, his eyes widening as his brother vanished into the mountain. He tugged against his uncle's grasp, nearly pulling them both over the edge in his desperation to get to his brother. Thorin pulled him back, and steeling himself for the unspeakable, rounded the corner. What he saw instead was several dazed and bedraggled, but most definitely living dwarves peeling themselves off the rocks and examining their various injuries.

"It's alright! They're alive!" Bombur shouted with joy.

Misty watched as Kili went limp with relief at the news, sliding down to rest his back against the rock face. A tear slid down the dwarves cheek and he raised his hand to brush it away before any of his company could see and think him weak.

Thorin helped the dwarves back on to their feet.

"Where's Bilbo?" Dori asked suddenly, and all the dwarves glanced around in confusion as they noted the sudden absence of their burglar.

Ori and Gloin glanced over the cliff to see the hobbit clinging desperately to the rocks.

"Bilbo! Take my hand!" The dwarves tried to help him, but no one could reach far enough. After a moment Thorin eased himself down the edge of the cliff to aide the hobbit up.

It wasn't too long until Thorin slipped as well.

Dwalin reached down and with all his strength pulled the leader of the company back onto the path.

"I thought we lost our burglar," Dwalin said, giving the shakey Bilbo a reassuring pat on his back.

"He's been lost ever since he left home," Thorin spat. "He should never have come. He has no place amoungst us."

The dwarves stood in awkward and dazed silence for a moment and then started moving again, eager to continue their journey despite the obstacle they'd just faced. Kristie watched as Kili fell back to join his brother and checked the older dwarf over for injuries, seeing that there were none of any import Kili put his arm around his big brother's shoulder and the two walked like that for the rest of the journey. After only a few more minutes of wet and miserable trudging Nori spotted a cave.

"Dwalin, search the back." Thorin said, and together the two dwarves searched around the cave. "Caves in the mountain are seldom unoccupied."

"Nothing here," Dwalin called

"Alright. Let's get a fire going."

Gloin was just about to gather some wood when Thorin interrupted, "No. No fires in this place. Get some rest. We set off at first light."

Kristie and Misty sat down in the far corner, talking in hushed whispers.

"We were supposed to stay in the mountains until Gandalf found us. That was the plan," Balin commented.

"Plans change."


	6. The Goblin-Town

"I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." Misty was just slipping into consciousness when she heard Bofur talking to Bilbo. "What's that?" Bofur pointed to Bilbo's sword, which was glowing.

Then the floor started to crack.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Thorin shouted, apparently awake.

Misty jerked her sister awake as the ground cracked beneath them, and in the blink of an eye they had their weapons in hand: Misty's daggers and Kristie's sword. Then, the floor came out from under them.

Kristie and Misty were franticly trying to reach each other as they hurtled towards their eminent doom.

The startled dwarves landed in a pile somewhere deep within the mountain. Kristie blinked against the light trying to figure out where they were. It looked like a cave of some sort . . . She held back a startled yelp as she saw the hundreds upon hundreds of goblins rushing toward them.

There was barely even a fight. Misty knocked out maybe three goblins, Kristie two, and between them and the rest of the company they had managed to take out three of the awful things before someone shoved Kristie's hands behind her back and bound them with a rope. She yelled, but there was no help, soon the entire company was chained and being forced over bridges and cliffs into the very heart of the mountain.

Only Nori noticed Bilbo slipping away from the goblins, and he was too preoccupied with their plight to think more of it.

The dwarves were thrown onto a flimsy clearing in front of a gigantic and disgusting creature.

A few of the goblins took all the dwarves' weapons and threw them into a pile in front of the Goblin-King.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" the Goblin-King asked.

"Dwarves, your Malevolence," a goblin answered.

"Dwarves?" the enormous thing gurgled.

"We found them on the front porch," another goblin replied, a ghastly grin splitting it's face.

"Well don't just stand there! Search them! Every crack. Every crevice."

The goblins searched the dwarves roughly once again, seeing if they missed anything of importance.

"What are you doing in these parts," the Goblin-King asked the dwarves. "Speak!" No one uttered a sound. "Well then, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker. Start with the youngest," the Goblin-King pointed a hideous finger at Kili, who looked around in a panic.

"NO!" Fili yelped, straining against his bonds.

"Wait," Thorin said, seeking to protect his youngest nephew.

"Well, well, well," the Goblin-King grinned, noticing who exactly had stumbled into his domain. "Look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror. King Under the Mountain." He bowed, showing more than a hint of sarcasm. "Oh, but I'm forgetting. You don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really." He leaned in closer to Thorin and spoke quietly. "I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak. An old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg."

Thorin looked at the Goblin-King with disbelief and a touch of fear. "Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago."

"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" The Goblin-King turned to one of his servants. "Send word the the Pale Orc. Tell him I have found his prize."

The Goblin-King then turned to the rest of his people. Thousands and thousands of goblins anxiously awaited what their king would do with the intruders. "Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered, from racks you'll be hung. You will lie down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin-town." The goblins screamed with joy at the thought of seeing the dwarves in pain.

"Bring him to me." The Goblin-King pointed towards Kili.

"No! KILI!" Fili desperately tried to reach his younger brother, but the goblins blocked him again

"Misty," Kristie whispered to her sister. "Now would be a good time to come up with a plan."

"I know, I know. I'm thinking." Misty looked around Goblin-town to try and find a way out. She then felt a sudden itch in her boot. Slowly, she reached down to scratch it and found a spare dagger hidden there. A brief grin crossed her face before she was able to control her expression again and she quickly moved her hand away, hoping that the goblins didn't notice the weapon they missed.

Meanwhile, Kili's hands were bound, and he was thrown on the ground in front of the Goblin-King.

"Why have you entered my dominion?"

Kili said nothing.

"Well. It seems we need to loosen this one's tongue a little. Take him below," the Goblin-King ordered one of his minions. "Make him scream."

Fili shouted as if he were the one about to be tortured, and struggle again to reach his brother. Kili looked helplessly up, and allowed himself to be dragged below.

"Misty. You're the master strategist. Do something!" Fili urgently looked to the she-dwarf for help.

Then a scream so hopeless and so agonized as they had never heard echoed from the dungeon of goblin town. Fili's eyes widened and he gasped as if someone had stuck a knife in him. Misty found his hand and wrapped it in hers. She knew what she would feel if anyone hurt her little sister.

The screaming went on for at least five minutes, every one of which felt like an eternity.

By the end of them Flii's hand was shaking with rage, silent tears streaking down his face. He could only imagine what they were doing to his brother. Misty looked around once more, taking in everything. She noticed the goblin next to the Goblin-King had a key around his neck. She tried to remember if she saw it used before, when she realized it was the key to the chains on the opposite platform.

"Wait. Idea forming. Hold on . . ." Misty whispered as the last details of her plan came together in her head. "Got it!" she hissed. She then explained her plan to Fili and Kristie.

A goblin appeared next to the Goblin-King. "He's not talking, your Malevolence."

"Bring him out," the goblin started to disappear when the Goblin-King added, "Oh, and get the whip."

Fili moaned, and Misty wondered if he had even hear her, the dwarf was so beyond reach. Fili's pulse started rushing as he craned his head to try and see his brother. Kili was being dragged onto a platform opposite where the dwarves were. He was thrown on the ground and clapped in chains. The same chains that were opened by the key on the goblin's neck. Well that was something at least, Fili thought, that was hope.

Then, Fili saw Kili's face.

It was covered with deep red cuts and burns. Along his bare chest was a large gash that was oozing dark blood. One of his arms had been broken and was hanging limply dragging on the ground. A sob wrenched through Fili and Misty tightened her grip on his.

"Remind me again, why we aren't ripping off their slimy heads?" Fili whispered rawly.

"Because, we have to wait for the right moment."

Fili looked back at Kili, and all hope of his little brother being fine suddenly vanished.

A goblin raised a whip above his head and brought it down, hard, on Kili's back.

Kili barely made a sound, just slumped further into the floor. It was like the light in the boy's eyes had been switched off. There didn't seem to be a Kili in there, just an empty thing being shoved into the ground.

The goblin whipped Kili again and again, but no response came. Fili wondered if his brother was even alive. Perhaps they were simply whipping a corpse. Perhaps that would be more merciful.

Fili wished Kili would scream. Then at least he'd know some part of his brother was still in there. That there was something to be saved. The whip fell again and again and with each lash and each silence Fili watched his brother slip away.

Misty, on the other hand, was looking intently at the goblin who had the key around its neck. _All I have to do is wait until it looks away._ she told herself. _Wait for it._ Finally, the goblin turned around, and Misty made her move.

"Now!" Misty screamed and charged the goblin, her spare blade now in hand, and slid the knife into it's throat. She ripped the key from the chain.

"Take up arms! Fight! FIGHT!" Thorin ordered his company.

Then, all hell broke loose.

Kristie took up her sword and slashed about a dozen goblins before moving to help the other dwarves.

"Fili!" Misty motioned for Fili to follow her. Together they crossed a bridge and ran over to Kili.

"Kili?" Fili knelt beside his brother and checked for a pulse.

"Is he alive?" Misty asked

"Thank Durin," Fili said. "He's alive."

"Well, come on then! We have to move."

Fili picked his brother up and slung him over his back. They could worry about the rest later, at least for now Kili was alive. Misty ran in front and killed any goblins that dared come near to the two brothers. Once Misty and Fili were almost near the exit, Misty looked to her sister to show that Kili was alright.

Kristie went over to Thorin and pointed to where his nephews were.

"Company! Move out!"

The dwarves fled, slashing through goblin after goblin as they crossed the bridges. Finally they found a familiar face.

"Gandalf!" Misty shouted.

"Where have you been?" Thorin asked, infuriated by the wizard's late arrival.

"That does not matter now, Thorin Oakenshield. Now we must find a way out. Follow me."

The dwarves followed the wizard down more twists and turns, fighting any goblin that dared come near. Fili kept to the center of the group, still carrying a wounded Kili.

Gandalf led the company further towards the exit. They had almost reached it, the first echoes of light just brushing their skin when the Goblin-King hurtled himself down from above and onto the bridge in front of them. They tried to change direction, but there were goblins behind them as well.

"Did you really think you could escape me?" the Goblin-King laughed "What are you going to do now?"

He then knocked Gandalf back into Nori and Dori, who helped the wizard back up. Gandalf seemed to fall forward into the goblin king. There was a moment of utter confusion when no one was sure what had happened, but when the wizard stood back up there was a knife in the goblin's eye and t's stomach was slashed down the middle.

"That'll do it," the Goblin-King replied, and Gandalf sliced its throat as it fell down into the depths of Goblin-town.

Kili started to come to. "Fili?"

"I'm here, Kili," Fili said, still supporting his brother.

"Put me down, I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Fili tightened his grip on his brother and the younger dwarf went silent on his back.

Soon, the bridge the dwarves running across cracked beneath them.

They tumbled further and further into the darkness until the bridge caught on the cliffside.

The battered dwarves groaned. "Well, that could've been worse," Bofur said.

Then the Goblin-King landed on top of them.

"Oh, come on!" Kristie complained.

"Uhh . . . Gandalf?" Misty looked up to see thousands of goblins coming after them.

"There is only one thing that can save us now. Daylight," Gandalf said.

The dwarves followed Gandalf into a rocky passageway that soon led them into daylight. Fili, still carrying his brother, who fell into unconsciousness again, desperately wished for them to stop so Gandalf could take a look at Kili.

After running for what seemed like an hour, the dwarves stopped in a clearing in the middle of a forest.

"Gandalf," Fili said.

"Put him down," Gandalf ordered. Fili gently placed his brother by the roots of a gnarled tree. "Let's take a look, then."

Gandalf carefully inspected Kili's abused body, looking for any fatal wounds before he said, "It will probably take him many days to properly heal, but he'll live."

Fili let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Gandalf whispered some spells over the dwarf, and after a few moments Kili woke up.

"Kili!" Fili looked over to his brother.

"Fili. What happened?"

"You were kind of tortured a little bit."

"Oh. Well I bet that was fun."

"Can-can you stand?"

"Yeah, I think so." Kili experimentally tried standing up. He stumbled a little bit, and Fili helped him to stand properly, but he wasn't nearly as unstable as Fili thought he would be.

Gandalf then did a head count and noticed one member of the company was missing. "Bilbo. Where's Bilbo?"

Fili and Kili looked around their knees to see if they missed the hobbit.

"Dori, you were with him last," Gandalf said.

"Well, I don't know where he went," Dori defended.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first captured us," Nori stated.

"Our burglar has been thinking of his warm bed ever since he joined us," Thorin said. "Master Baggins saw his chance and took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and warm hearth ever since he stepped out of his door. We will not be seeing out hobbit again. He is long gone."

"No, he isn't." Bilbo appeared right behind Thorin.

"Bilbo!" Kili said in surprise.

"How on earth did you get past the goblins?" Fili asked.

"How indeed," Gloin stated.

"What does it matter? He's back," Gandalf said, seeing Bilbo slip a ring into his pocket.

"It matters," Thorin said. "Why did you come back."

"Look, I know you doubt me; you always have. You're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books and my arm chair, and my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back; because you don't have one. Yours was taken from you, but I'll help you take it back if I can."

The group was happy that their burglar came back. Well, happy until a loud howl filled the air.

"Out of the frying pan," Thorin muttered.

"And into the fire. Run. Run!" Gandalf commanded.

Fili supported his brother with one arm, and Kristie took the other. Misty stayed to the rear of the group when she saw dozens of orcs and wargs chasing after them. And leading them was a Pale Orc astride a White Warg.


	7. It Cannot Be

**AN: Sorry it took me a little longer to update, but here it is!**

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The dwarves ran over to a rocky cliffside when Nori almost plummeted down thousands of feet.

"Into the trees. Quickly!" Gandalf ordered, and the dwarves ran for the trees.

Bilbo jabbed his sword into an attacking warg as he ran, and was just about to climb up a nearby tree, when his sword got stuck in the dead animal. Oin reached down and yanked the hobbit up into the tree.

Fili was helping Kili clamber into a nearby tree. He climbed up on to a low branch and helped push Kili up into the higher branches.

Thorin's company swiftly made their up the cluster of trees. Gandalf climbed into the top of a tree hanging over the edge of the cliff. From where Kristie was standing, it looked like he was talking to a butterfly.

Misty climbed into a tree a little ways away from the trees the other dwarves choose. She sat on the lowest branch, flipped over so her hands were near the ground, and pulled Kristie up. Together they climbed near the top of the tree.

Thorin looked at their attackers when he saw Azog the Defiler. He moved the branches of the tree he was in to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

"Do you smell that? The scent of fear. Your father reeked of it Thorin, son of Thrain." Azog addressed Thorin.

"It cannot be." Thorin stared in horror at the enemy he had thought long dead.

"That one is mine. Kill the others."

Then, the wargs started knocking the trees over.

"Drink their blood."

The first tree to go was the one Bilbo and Oin were in. As the orcs approached the tree gave with a magnificent cracking sound, and started a sort of enormous domino affect. The dwarves hurled themselves from tree to tree as the great trunks gave way and toppled Soon the only trees that still had dwarves in them were Misty and Kristie's tree, far away enough from the impact that it was still standing, and Gandalf's tree, which had all the other dwarves hanging from it's branches.

Gandalf grabbed a pinecone and muttered something over it, and the pinecone burst into flame. He then launched it at the wargs attacking the tree he was in. He grabbed two more pinecones and tossed one of them to Fili.

Soon practically every dwarf in the tree had a flaming pinecone, which they sent flying at their attackers.

Meanwhile, Kristie and Misty's tree was under attack. The orcs and wargs clawed at the base, and jumped up the trunk. Every so often one of them got just enough purchase that they could make it up a few feet before falling and the girls knew that eventually one of them would make it up the tree. Kristie emptied her quiver into the creatures on the ground, but they kept coming.

Kili was attempting to shoot the remaining wargs surrounding Kristie and Misty's tree, though he was still out of it with his encounter in Goblin Town, when the tree he was in suddenly gave way and started to tilt off the side of the cliff.

All the dwarves trapped on the pine tree were clinging on for dear life as the tree creaked closer and closer towards falling.

Ori suddenly slipped off the tree, but his hand flailed out and he managed to grab onto Dori's boot as he fell. After a stunned moment Dori lost his grip on the branch, but thankfully, Gandalf managed to lower his staff just in time for Dori to grasp it.

Fili held his brother tightly so Kili wouldn't fall from the tree as he slipped in and out of consciousness.

Misty clambered down her tree to go to the aid of the dwarves. She managed to kill at least a dozen before she heard her sister scream, "Misty!"

Misty turned her head to come face to face with an orc, which batted her sword from her hands. Two more orcs attacked and yanked her arms behind her. Kristie would have gone down to help her sister, but she knew she could do no good.

Not a minute after Misty was caught Thorin leapt down from the trees to confront his enemy, unwilling to let the girl die while he stood by. Azog, satisfied that his prize had come to face him, dealt a hardy blow to Thorin, which sent him onto his back.

"Thorin!" Dwalin yelled. He tried to go over and help him but the branch he was on broke, leaving him clinging to a lower branch and unable to hoist himself up.

Thorin stood up again only to be hit with Azog's club.

The White Warg picked up Thorin with its teeth and threw him against a rock, where he lay barely holding onto consciousness.

"Bring me the the dwarf's head." Azog ordered one of the orcs.

While Azog's attention was on Thorin, however, Misty managed to pull free of the orc's grasp. Seeing Bilbo sneaking up behind the orc about to behead Thorin, Misty picked up a rock and lobbed it at Azog.

"Hey, clothead!" she shouted. The enormous orc turned to look at her and the girl sprinted over to the side of the cliff.

"Misty! What on earth are you doing?" Kristie yelled, still clinging to the tree.

"No idea." Misty yelled, almost gleefully as she wove her way through the orcs and wargs, throwing more rocks to keep Azog's attention

Azog finally managed to get the she-dwarf cornered between two of the wargs and the cliff face.

"I must say, you are brave for a girl. I will enjoy hearing you scream."

Thankfully, her plan was working at least a little bit. Since Azog was distracted trying to kill Misty, Bilbo had managed to kill the orc that was to behead Thorin. Bilbo stood protectively over the dwarf prince ready to kill whoever dared to come near. However, the other dwarves were still quite stuck on their tree, and could do nothing but watch the events unfold.

"Well, I'd say you have me in quite a pickle," Misty told the Pale Orc, forcing a smile on to her lips despite her fear. She was looking around trying to formulate a plan when she happened to glance over the edge of the cliff. Now a real grin edged onto her lips and she looked at the confused orc with a twinkle in her eye. "Oh, whatever will I do?" she asked with sarcasm.

"Misty?" Kili who had regained consciousness a few moments ago, stared questioningly at the she-dwarf.

Misty looked at Azog in defiance. She tucked her swords into their sheaves and tried to look somber. She backed up almost imperceptibly so her heals were off the side of the cliff, balancing on her toes. She placed her hands over her head and Azog grinned maliciously as the orcs and wargs advanced upon the girl.

Misty laughed. The small sound croaked past her lips and filled the nearly silent clearing. The orcs stopped, looking around in confusion. She raised her eyes so she was staring directly into the face of the pale orc. She stretched her arms out and held them there, extended. She giggled again.

"Why are you laughing?" the pale orc snapped, enraged.

Misty grinned wider. "See ya." Then she fell backwards off the cliff.

"Misty!" Fili shouted, trying to keep a firm grip on both the trunk and his brother while looking for a view of the girl who had just disappeared over the side of the cliff. He scrambled along the limb, desperate to see if she had possibly survived the fall.

"Well, looks as if the she-dwarf is no more," the orc laughed, still vaguely put off by the girl's behavior, but confident in his triumph.

Just then an enormous eagle swooped over them, it's claws digging into the two nearest wargs picking them up and dropping them over the sides of the cliff. Another eagle surfaced, and there was Misty, looking slightly disheveled by her her fall, but still holding her arms out and laughing like she was having the time of her life.

Fili let go of the trunk long enough to pump his fist in the air at the sight, then had to hastily reattach himself as he almost slipped.

Soon there were fifteen eagles flying around the cliffside picking off wargs as if they were toys and throwing them to their dooms.

Misty's eagle swooped low next to Kristie, and Misty grabbed her sister's hand and hauled her on to the creature's back. The eagles started picking up the dwarves and soon they were all safely off and away from Azog the Defiler, who wasn't too pleased about the whole thing.

"Thorin!" Fili yelled, seeing his injured uncle in the grasp of an eagle.

The eagles circled around a tall cliff before Thorin was placed with care. Gandalf's eagle landed shortly after and the wizard ran over to Thorin to see if he was still breathing.

After a bit of Gandalf's chanting, Thorin opened his eyes.

He looked over the group of dwarves, accounting for each face and smiling in relief when his eyes landed on his nephews "The Halfling?" he asked after the missing member.

"Don't worry. Bilbo is fine."

Bofur and Kili, who was looking a bit worse for wear but well enough after Gandalf's treatment, helped Thorin get to his feet, and Thorin turned toward the hobbit.

"What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed. Didn't I say you would be a burden? That you had no place amongst us?" Misty and Kristie looked at each other in confusion. Surely Thorin would be grateful that Bilbo saved his life.

"I have never been so wrong in my entire life." Thorin enveloped the surprised hobbit in a hug, which Bilbo returned.

"I am sorry I doubted you," Thorin said.

"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero," Bilbo replied.

Thorin nodded at Misty in gratitude.

Kristie and Misty looked around at the eagles circling the cliffside.

"Don't you ever do that again," Misty turned around to see Fili staring at her. "You scared me to death, you did." The dwarf did look properly frightened, and Misty blushed a bit at the idea that he had worried about her.

"Sorry about that. Although, I can't really see why it would matter to you if I did in fact die. I mean, you haven't really showed any interest in me at all during this quest and I fail to see-" Misty was cut off midsentence as the slightly shaky Fili pulled the girl in for a kiss.

"'Bout time," Kristie snorted, earning a laugh from Kili.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asked looking out over the horizon.

"Erebor, one of the last great dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth," Gandalf explained.

"Our home," Thorin finished.

Misty and Fili pulled away from each other, though he still kept an arm tucked tightly around her, and surveyed the landscape.

Then, a bird flew by and headed towards the Lonely Mountain.

"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain," Oin commented.

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush," Gandalf corrected.

"Well, we'll take it as a sign," Thorin said. "A good omen."

"Yes. I do believe that the worst is behind us," Bilbo said.

Little did the dwarves know that at that very moment, in a cave not too far from them, an enormous eye was opening.

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**AN: So just to make it clear this is the last chapter for now. I might continue the story when the second movie comes out, since I'm writing in movie-verse, but until then, this is it. Thanks to all my lovelies who actually read this far [luv u guys]. Also thanks to wibblywobblytimeywimeygirl13 for putting up with me constantly asking her to edit my chapters. She is amazing just btw.**


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